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4 CHRISTCHURCH MAIL, MARCH 19, 2015 NEWS Culture kept alive By MATTHEW LAU Former All Blacks Sevens player Jason Tiatia, 35, is a man who appreciates the art of learning languages and hopes to revitalise Gagana Samoa in second and third generations living in Aotearoa. A born and bred Cantabrian of Samoan descent, Tiatia was invited earlier this month to be a guest speaker at The Twisted Hop Pub as part of its First Mondays inspirational talks. ‘‘I want to give back to the community as a proud Samoan, keeping that language alive. ‘‘My colleague at CPIT, Hana O’Regan, says it takes one generation to lose it, and three generations to gain it back. That’s why I’m so passionate about keeping my Samoan culture thriving.’’ Tiatia played for the All Blacks Sevens team from 2000 to 2004, then moved on to France and Italy to continue his playing career and learn their languages. Under Sir Gordon Tietjens, he played alongside household names such Jonah Lomu, Eric Rush and Christian Cullen. He says he wouldn’t have reached those heights without the support of his mother, who used to run down the touchline with an umbrella when he was playing, yelling ‘‘Go son, go son!’’, and who would hug him after he scored a try. He now coaches the Canter- bury Sevens men’s team and is a regional coach for New Zealand Sevens. He also tutors at CPIT, teach- ing TOA Sports (sports training and indigenous culture). Tiatia presented the husbandand-wife owners of The Twisted By MATTHEW LAU Euthanasia was being debated around the South Island this week, with talks by advocates taking both sides of the argument. Euthanasia-free New Zealand executive officer Renee Joubert gave two antieuthanasia talks in Christchurch, which followed Dr Rob Jonquiere’s recent talk suggesting New Zealand following the Netherlands, where euthanasia has been legal since 2002. ‘‘My best friend com- mitted suicide when I was 20, and that is the main reason why I’m concerned about this issue,’’ Joubert says. ‘‘I feel it contradicts Role model: Former All Blacks Sevens player Jason Tiatia is now a leading example to young people at CPIT. Hop Pub, Stephen and Claire Hardman, with one of his All Blacks Sevens jerseys. ‘‘We were absolutely blown away by it. He presented it after his talk and it was an amazing gesture. My husband is going to frame it and we will have Jason back to mark the occasion, that’s for sure,’’ Claire said. Picture:MATTHEWLAU ‘‘It is great for young people to have a role model like Jason.We don’t expect anything from these speakers, because they are our guests, but I guess that is the culture.’’ Since his talk at The Twisted Hop Pub, Tiatia has been asked to speak at other events and to present as a compere. suicide prevention, especially the way the End of Life Choice Bill is drafted. Effectively, people will have assisted suicide on demand, Joubert says. Her talks in Christchurch were held at Shirley Boys’ High School and Te Rangimarie Centre, on Monday and Tuesday respectively, drawing a total of 100 people. She was pleased with the turnout, and surprised at the number of people opposed to euthanasia, having expected more of a mix. ‘‘From my experience, I think the public is quite uninformed, and therefore I take the alleged public support [for the bill] with a grain of salt.’’ Joubert says decriminalisation of euthanasia is unsafe, and that there is a difference between opposing euthanasia in principle and opposing decriminalisation. Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand president Jack Havill says the organisation is working to legalise physician-assisted dying (PAD) in New Zealand. ‘‘More than 85 per cent of the Dutch population now support PAD. There has been no evidence of ‘slippery slope’ or the targeting of Spreading the word: Euthanasia-freeNewZealand’s Renee Joubert is opposed to legalising euthanasia in this country, after seeing first-hand the unintended consequences in Belgium. Picture:MATTHEWLAU vulnerable people,’’ he says. ‘‘Almost all cases are done at home and risks of inadvertent ‘killing’ have not been shown. There is a system of controls and reviews, which is strong.’’ Hospice New Zealand ambassador Jo Seagar believes that death is a natural part of life, and with the right palliative care, a person can have a good quality of life, with their dignity maintained. ‘‘There are significant risks around legalising euthanasia – placing pressure on vulnerable people – the elderly, those living with disabilities or mental health issues – to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional, or care burden.’’ Seagar says it is easy to say yes to euthanasia before being faced with a terminal illness, and that requests for euthanasia from people who are dying are extremely rare. ‘‘Life, every moment of it, becomes incredibly precious. So asking people to vote while they are well will give an uninformed vote. Also, the way in which questions are asked in these public polls are often leading and highly emotive.’’ We don’t need to lower our standards..... STANDARD FEIJOAS /cjs-plants Ours are already at rock bottom DRIVE THRU Plant Farm Opening Hours Fri, Sat, Sun 9-4 4 Grays Rd, Amberley Ph 0800 394 946 www.cjsplants.co.nz